In 1882 the US Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act, the first American legislation to specifically exclude one immigrant group from legally arriving on US shores. This volume includes the primary documents about the legislation: nine major congressional measures, seven of which became law; and documents on the vigorous congressional debate, the subsequent amendments, and the eventual repeal of this discriminatory legislation. Compiled by a pro bono attorney representing a consortium of Chinese Americans who “wanted Congress to acknowledge and express regret for a long record of Chinese exclusion legislation,” the volume’s documentary text is enhanced with a useful narrative history shedding light on both the American cultural and political milieus during this time. The appendixes further enhance the reference value of this work, featuring an American immigration law time line, reprints from the Congressional Record, and a useful bibliography. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty.
– D. Altschiller, Boston University

— Choice, January 2013

Reprinted with permission from CHOICE http://www.cro2.org, copyright by the American Library Association.

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